GPD-PN 05/26: Programme and project directors: role, importance and arrangements (HTML)

Dear Chief Project Delivery Officers and Heads of Profession

This policy note supports the implementation of the Government Functional Standard for Project Delivery (GovS 002), which establishes the need for clear project delivery leadership roles and defined accountabilities. It sets out the importance and key aspects of the Programme/Project Director role.

Departments and arm’s length bodies in scope of the Government Functional Standard for Project Delivery shall apply the requirements this policy note describes to all new Programme/Project Director appointments in relation to Mega-Projects, programmes and projects within the Government Major Projects Portfolio, Departmental Major Projects, and Other Major Projects.

Recent government reforms rebalanced accountability arrangements for programme and project delivery, alongside clearer tiering of government programmes and projects. This reinforced the importance of strong and effective Programme/Project Directors, for whom this policy note introduces tiering, mirroring the Senior Responsible Owners with whom they work.

The role of the senior responsible owner offers the following description of the programme/project director role, that has been adapted slightly to reflect the recent reforms.

The programme/project director is a UK government specific role designation that is used for programmes and projects in the GMPP and for Departmental Major Projects. It is a senior role with expert project delivery experience and expertise to reflect the scale and complexity of major government projects. For lower cost and risk projects, this role could be called a project or programme manager, and the responsibilities would be similar though in a less complex environment.

The duties of the project director include:

• ensuring the solution is designed and business case and plans prepared
• defining the approach, accountabilities, work scope and targets for the team
• monitoring, forecasting and reporting overall progress against the plan
• resolving risks and issues and controlling change
• delivering the required outputs and outcomes
• monitoring and managing supplier performance
• engaging and communicating with stakeholders
• ensuring the project is appropriately resourced and organised
• ensuring the budget requirements are defined and managed within agreed limits
• identifying and managing risks and issues
• ensuring the project team’s activities are lawful and ethical

The project director is responsible for all day-to-day decisions.

The key to a successful relationship between a senior responsible owner and a programme/project director is understanding each other’s role and agreeing how they want to work together:

• the senior responsible owner steers and champions the project
• the programme/project director directs the project

Annex D of The Role of the senior responsible owner offers side-by-side comparison of the two roles.

If a programme or project is on the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), the following arrangements apply to the Programme Director. This includes Mega Projects, which follow the same framework with a small number of distinctions.

If a programme or project needs approval through HM Treasury’s ‘Treasury approvals process for projects and programmes’ but is not on the Government Major Projects Portfolio, the following arrangements apply to the Programme Director.

If a programme or project does not need approval from HM Treasury, the following arrangements apply to the Programme/Project Director.

For advice on this policy or any other reforms being implemented, contact your NISTA Project Delivery Advisor.

Karina Singh

Government Head of Profession for Project Delivery